face, his thumbs resting on my cheeks, the heat of him searing me.
He is good looking, rugged, brutal, with ink on his hands and peeking out from the collar of his shirt, but he’s not Damien. I want to scream, but when my mouth opens, his lips steal the sound, and he kisses me deeply.
The whoosh of the other door has Creed breaking our connection, and I turn to lock my gaze on blue eyes so volatile, I feel faint.
32
Damien
I watch him kiss her through a cloud of rage. I know I shouldn’t be jealous because she wants me, but I can’t stop the toxic emotion from racing like a poison through my veins.
My body moves, and without thinking, my fist connects with Creed’s face before I have time to think. Nesrin’s squeak of surprise bounces off the walls, but I don’t even look at her.
“I told you, I will start a fucking war, Creed,” I inform him. Anger takes hold of me, and I’m on him again, my hands slamming into his chest, his face, but he doesn’t fight back.
“Damien,” Nesrin calls to me, but her voice seems so far away, as if she’s on the other end of a tunnel, and I just can’t get to her. “Damien stop.” Her words break through the cloud surrounding me, her hand on my shoulder stills me for a moment.
Looking at my former best friend, I realize he’s smiling. Blood drips from his lip and nose, and his left eye is already starting to swell. I told him not to come near her, but he didn’t listen. He brought this on himself.
His gaze lands on Nesrin who’s behind me, and I want to wipe the bloody smirk off his face. “I told you, Darling,” he says. “We may not be the same in our needs, but our wants, they’re exactly alike. The violence that simmers in this town runs in all of us.”
“Get the fuck out of here.” I grit out through clenched teeth, as I attempt to tamp down my anger. This is ridiculous. I don’t want to fight, but he knows I’ll do it if I’m pushed into a corner.
Creed tips his head, before retreating through the door that leads to his bedroom. We used to sneak in through there when we were younger, listening to his father when he had meetings in the library. It was our way of rebelling. Stupidly spying on the men of Thorne Haven, learning the secrets that run this town.
When we’re alone, I turn to Nesrin, pulling her into my arms and holding her there. Like an animal, I want to bathe her in my scent, to mark her as mine. But after the spat with Creed, he now knows not to come near her again. He was testing me, seeing if I’d fight for her, and I did. And I’ll do it again and again.
“Let’s go,” I pull her along, my fingers laced with hers. She doesn’t fight me all the way to the car, as people stare at her holding the rose that I gave her. The gossiping will start the moment we’re in the vehicle. Even as we drive home, Nesrin is silent, and I want to ask what Creed told her, but I don’t.
I have a feeling I already know. By the time we reach the house, the tension in my muscles has eased, and I take Nesrin’s hand, leading her up the stairs to the second floor, then down a small corridor that leads to the staircase that will deposit us onto the rooftop. I need her beside me tonight, more than ever. And this is my favorite place in the world.
When we get to the top, I allow her to step onto the landing first. Before us is a king-sized mattress, covered in a basic sheet and comforter, with a few pillows, along with a minibar fridge.
Nesrin stands behind me, as I tug my tie free and unbutton my shirt. She watches me, her eyes wide, as she takes me in. I turn to look at her, my body facing hers, and I reach for her, lifting her against me.
Her legs wrap around my waist, and every nerve in my body sparks to life as if I’ve been shocked by a live wire. A buzz skitters through me because, tonight, I’m having her. Claiming her. She’s fucking mine.
“I-I… I’ve never seen you so angry,” she whispers, as I lower her onto the mattress. The rooftop was a